Civil War Manuscripts (NEHGS)

About this collection

This collection contains selected manuscripts from the R. Stanton Avery Special Collections related to the American Civil War, 1861-1865. These collections include letters, diaries, military records, photographs, scrapbooks, and other materials produced by soldiers that provide details about their military experiences as they served during this war. There are similar documents produced by civilians from the home front with reports of local events, family news, rumors, and occasionally perceptions about the war, its causes, or consequences. Although most of our collections relate to Union soldiers and sailors, the Charles Carleton Coffin Collection includes material produced by soldiers and citizens of the Confederate States of America.